A Tale of Three Spideys! Spider-Man No Way Home Spoiler Review!

WARNING!!!! There will be spoilers! I suggest if you for some inexplicable reason haven’t seen the film yet that you don’t read…. Okay, now let’s get started shall we?

Wow! I’ll be honest and admit that I had super low expectations for this film before it came out. One reason being that the possibility of Tobey MaGuire returning as Peter Parker seemed too good to be true. Another being that with a movie this hyped up on such a high level can tend to disappoint you when all is said and done. Can’t tell you how happy I am that this movie exceeded my expectations and gave me my childhood back for a few hours. It was just pure fun, nostalgia and just a well made film as a whole.

What I loved:

1. The return of OG Spideys and Villains.

Let’s start with what I absolutely adored about this film. The return of Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina was what really made this film shine. The movie could’ve brought them back just for nostalgia bait but instead it paid nothing but loving respect and homage to the characters, their stories and their universes. You know how much people still truly love these characters and actors when the audience in theaters go nuts when they made their entrances:

It was also really great to see Thomas Haden Church’s Sandman, The Lizard and Jamie Foxx’s Electro back and given proper development that was lacking in their stories and characterizations. I had a tough time taking Jamie Foxx as a villain for the longest time because the brother is just too smooth and lovable, but I was impressed with the intensity he brought to Electro here. Just like back in 2004 with the Ray Oscar win one should never count out Jamie Foxx.

2. The raw and brutal fight scenes.

The two best fight\action sequences between Tom Holland’s Peter Parker and Green Goblin were just amazing. The Goblin proved that an old dog still has new tricks when he beats the ever loving web out of Holland in the apartment fight, kills Aunt May and taunts him. He breaks this Peter down in a way we haven’t seen anyone do before. This is most evident near the end when Peter almost kills Goblin with his own glider similar to the first Spiderman movie in 2002 only reversed. This was a great homage to that iconic and brutal fight scene.

Bonus: The mirror dimension scene.

I was a little nervous originally about Doctor Strange taking over the film, but he was used appropriately here and the interaction with Peter added both the levity and the jeopardy to the film.

The CGI was masterful in this one. Very exciting and action packed, but also a wonderful homage to the iconic Spider-Man\Doc Ock battle on the train in the iconic Spider-Man 2.

3. The chemistry of the Spider bros.

For forever everyone wondered what it’d be like if all three generations of Spidey were ever put together in one film and we all finally got to see that happen and it was glorious. The chemistry was absolutely perfect between the three actors. They really felt like three brothers although they’re all different variants of the same person. Who didn’t enjoy the hilarious interplay or the deep and profound scene where the older Peters had a heart to heart with the younger Peter after Aunt May’s death? This has been almost 20 years in the making and it did not disappoint. Sign me up for a Spider Bros movie any time.

4. The growth of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has definitely gotten his fair share of derision over the years: Iron Man Jr.; Iron Boy; nothing without all the tech Stark left him; never throws a single punch etc. Well, I’m happy to say that after No Way Home I have a great feeling that we will finally being the real Spider-Man from Holland in the future. His arc throughout the film, as dark as it was, was necessary for the much needed character development this Peter Parker desperately needed.

What I didn’t love so much:

1. Doc Ock could’ve been used a bit better. Don’t get me wrong Alfred Molina was great and I was very happy with that great moment where Tobey and Otto were reunited. But I wish when he was supposed to be menacing and villainous he was done as well as he was in Spider-Man 2.

2. I really wish they had found a way to use the iconic Danny Elfman score from the Raimi films.

Just imagine when Tobey entered the film is a bit of this theme played. Or even better if this was used in the opening. Alas it wasn’t meant to be but I could just imagine the reaction to this beauty being played again.

Spider-Man No Way Home was a true Christmas gift and a miracle. This was 20 years in the making and worth the wait. Thank you for making this a very Merry Christmas, Spider-Man. Stan Lee must be very proud up there. R.I.P.